Millhaven Institution - Violence

Violence

Over the years "Thrill Haven" has seen its share of violence. J unit is considered one of the most dangerous places in Canada's prison system. The most unruly inmates are often housed there. On average, there are 5 inmate murders per year. (source: Corrections Canada)

On the first anniversary of the August 10, 1975 suicide of prisoner Edward Nalon, prisoners at Millhaven refused to work and began a hunger strike for improvements to the prison system. They asserted that their strike was in solidarity with a strike at the British Columbia Penitentiary, and their strike inspired sympathy hunger strikes at Collins Bay and Joycecille.

In May 2009, Millhaven was the site of a riot which lasted less than 24 hours.

On Oct. 12 2010, a correctional officer with a rifle shot a convict who refused orders to stop assaulting another prisoner in an outdoor recreation yard.

On Dec. 7 2010, 120 inmates in the assessment unit refused to return to their cells at the end of a recreation period. They began to barricade themselves in the area and guards fired shotguns and used chemical agents to gain control of the situation.

On Mar. 21 2011, inmate Jordan Trudeau was killed in an altercation. The event took place in the gymnasium area during exercise for "J" Unit (Maximum Security) inmates. Officers deployed chemical agents and fired shots to attempt to gain control of the situation. Trudeau was killed by correctional officers via a shot from a 9mm rifle to stop him from harming other inmates. Two other inmates involved were wounded. The OPP Prison squad investigated the incident, and found CSC staff acted properly.

Convicted murderer of Toronto teen Stephanie Rengel (David Bagshaw, 21) was charged with attempted murder in regards to this (Jordan Trudeau) incident. He is an inmate at Millhaven (MSU) and was involved in the attack on another inmate that forced guards to fire shots. Bagshaw and another inmate (the attackers) were shot to stop them from assaulting a third inmate.